Bachelor's Button
by Floralspace
Summary: ESP. Bubbles x Boomer oneshot, follows after [Manic Monday - Brick x Blossom] and [The Wedding Planner - Blaine x Bell] sixth story


**I DON'T OWN CHARACTERS!**

"And this powers all the stage lights so that they track his movement and light him up for the audience." Boomer pointed to a metal box that was topped off with an assortment of buttons and levers.

"Why are there so many buttons?" Bubbles asked.

"Well, it does other stuff too." Boomer rubbed he back of his head and laughed. Bubbles smiled and continued looking forward. She didn't want to think about what would happen when she got home. No. She didn't have a home anymore. She was so disgusting. Playing guys for a free meal or a reason to wear a nice dress. She should've known that karma would come around and get her soon. Bell and Blaine had been dating for a year now. Blossom and Brick had given birth to a little baby boy a few months ago. Buttercup had just gotten promoted at work and Bunny was off on some crazy adventure somewhere. Blaine had just recently returned from a minor tour he had with his comedy and Bell was as happy as could be. Boomer was Blaine's main tech guy. Butch was on T.V. last night for another insane stunt he had amazingly survived and Blitz, well, she didn't really know where Blitz was. Bubbles had come with Bell to see Blaine's last concert. He would be gone on an even longer tour in a year and half, so they were excited they would be able to spend more time together. Bell and Blaine practically jumped on each other, leaving Boomer and Bubbles to their own devices.

She was glad that Bell would be with Blaine for a good while before his next tour. At this rate, Bubbles would have to leave town. Her stuff was all packed up in her trunk, she hadn't told any of the girls about what was going on. Buttercup and Bunny were so busy with work. Blossom was busy with her kid and god forbid she ruin Bell's good mood. She had started going with Bell to her self defense classes, not that it was much help. She just didn't have it in her to hurt another human being.

"Bubbles? Did you hear me?" Boomer's voice cut into her thoughts.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a sec." Bubbles blushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of her neck. Boomer was a nice guy.

"Are you okay?" She nodded and smiled. He definitely didn't need to get caught up in this. She had to run away from everyone and everything. Why? Because she was weak. She always had been and she always would be. Bubbles looked up and met Boomer's dark blue eyes. There was a flash of anger. Normally his eyes seemed so kind and careful. She had never really seen him angry. It only lasted for a split second and made Bubbles wonder if her eyes had just been playing tricks on her.

"You staying for the show?" They started walking back to the dressing room.

"Yeah..." But that would probably be the last time they'd see each other. Bubbles would have to disappear of the face of the earth.

* * *

She was a total idiot. The florist had gone out clubbing or something to find a new guy to treat her to some food. She had taken a shot, but Bubbles was a lightweight. In the violet lights of the club any guy looks great. The fact that she had the blue-eyed blond thing going for her made romantic encounters even easier with most guys. She was walking around, looking at all the different types of guys. Then she spotted him. An average looking guy. Brown hair and eyes. Maybe just out of college. She had introduced herself to him, finding out his name was Brian. Brian seemed like an awfully nice and reasonable guy, the exact kind of guy Bubbles liked to use. She got free food and dates for a couple of weeks, nothing more. What she hadn't anticipated was Brian reacting the way he did when she told him that she didn't want to hang out anymore. He looked kind of angry, but that was expected. Something about the the way it was handled had made her feel incredibly uneasy. She ran out as soon as he reached towards her.

She moved on like normal, and everything was find for a week. Then he showed up at the wedding shop. Saying things like he didn't accept that they broke up, but they weren't together in the first place. Bubbles never told him where she worked, she had even blocked his number on her phone. He would stand outside and watch her, waiting until she left to tell her about how they weren't over. She changed her work hours. Started taking other ways out of the shop. Then, last night, he showed in her house. Not outside, he got into her house. She never told him where she lived. He was in her house. He pushed her against a wall. He demanded things. Telling her to stop fooling around. Bubbles was to scared. Her body was pumped full of adrenaline. His grip had bruised her wrist. Bubbles had hit him in the face with flour and locked him in her closet, grabbing the necessities and running. She went to Bell and now she was here.

* * *

Bubbles rubbed her bruised wrist that was covered by her long sleeved big sweater. She would disappear, maybe she'd head to the other side of the world. Bubbles hadn't realized she'd stopped walking. Even more, she hadn't realized that Boomer was watching her steadily. He hadn't said a thing. He was standing with his back facing her.

"Boomer?" Bubbles tapped his head, freezing for a moment as she felt the silky hair. His hair was softer than hers. Lucky. She played with the hair a little, waiting on a response. Nothing. Maybe he was thinking? Bubbles plunged her hands into his soft hair and totally messed it up. he giggled at the mess she had made and went in to make even more damage. Then Boomer caught her hands.

"Bubbles, there's nothing you wanna tell me about?" He turned around, keeping a firm grasp on him hands, but not painful. His eyes had an indescribable emotion swirling in those eyes of his.

"Stop being so serious!" Bubbles laughed it off, "I'm perfectly fine!" Boomer's warm hands moved away from hers and Bubbles had to stop herself from pulling them back towards her. Whoa! Since when was that a thing?

"It's almost show time." Boomer's voice was dangerously lacking in emotion before he walked off.

* * *

People were falling out of their seats in laughter as Blaine moved across the stage. Striking funny poses. Acting out different scenes of things that had happened. Weaving earlier jokes into new ones.

"Well, that's all I got everybody," The crowd cheered, "Goodnight everybody!" He waved. Bell ran into the crowd and backstage to go see her boyfriend. Bubbles sighed happily, this was it. Then the lights shut off. People gasped and Bubbles felt two hands on her shoulders. She screamed but it was muffled immediately and she was dragged out.

Where was she going? Who was holding her? They smelled like cigarette smoke and metal. Their hands were rough and calloused. They were so much stronger than her. She was scared. Bubbles crushed her eyes closed. The hands let go of her and lights flickered on with a buzzing noise. Bubbles opened her eyes and saw Brian.

"I found you baby." He smiled. He...this was nothing like the Brian she had met before. "That was a pretty sick joke you played on me yesterday." He reeked of cigars. Bubbles was so terrified she couldn't move, she couldn't even think. He went on talking about the relationship that didn't exist. Bubbles felt tears in the corners of her eyes. She was going to die. She was going to be raped by a psychopath and die. Then there was a gunshot.

"What was that!" Bubbles screamed and stood up.

"Don't worry honey, I just brought a few friends to make sure the people stay in line." He stalked towards her. "They've taken all the cellphones and anybody who speaks out of line will get a little warning shot." He was on her and Bubbles couldn't move, she was frozen. She such a weakling. There was a little zip sound and he moved away, "I'll be back in a few minutes." He laughed and left. Bubbles could feel her wrists bound around a small steam pipe. It burned. Bubbles fell to the ground, this was the end.

 _"Bubbles, can you hear me?"_ It was Boomer. But where was he. She looked up. A tear fell down from her eye.

"Boomer?" Her voice was soft and barely audible.

 _"Bubbles, where are you?"_

"Where are you?" Her brain was mush. Boomer was here? Now he would die too.

 _"I'm outside with a few people, the police, Bell and Blaine."_

Outside? But she shouldn't be able to hear him from outside.

 _"Describe where you are inside."_ Bubbles looked around.

"It's the storage room, the flowers I brought are here." She looked at her arrangement on the far table. Blue Bachelor's Button, her favorite flowers. They were surrounded by green leaves and white Baby's Breath. It was simple, but Bubbles had had fun making it. It was a sort of goodbye present. The beautiful flowers gleamed under the flickering ceiling lights. Bubbles could feel the skin on her wrists curling up as the pipe burned it. It hurt so bad, but she couldn't move. She heard lots of noise above her, gunshots, yelling, screaming, crying, running...

 _"What kind of restraints are on your hands?"_ She heard Boomer again. How did he know she was restrained?

"Plastic, some sort of zipper." She mumbled.

 _"Bubbles, you need to listen to me if you want to get out of there."_ What other choice did she have?

Her thumbs were slightly burned and her wrists were bloody with curled up charred skin. She couldn't move them without experiencing intense pain. It was so painful.

 _"Move, NOW"_ Boomer's voice rang out and she stood up. She turned to the door just as it opened. There stood Brian, hair a mess. She could smell the blood on him, although not able to see it. His face contorted into that with wrinkles clenched teeth, and a glare as sharp as a blade.

"Why don't you want to stay with me?!" Bubbles took a step back, into the table with the flower arrangement. "Fine, then I'll just take you by force." Bubbles turned to run, only to have him grab her burned wrist. She screamed in pain, but it was quickly muffled by some sort of white cloth. She reached out, knocking over her flower arrangement. The glass shattered on the ground as she fell with it and everything went black.

* * *

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Bubbles squinted her eyes open. The world was blurry. She could only listen to the consistent beeps tat echoed around her.

BEEP

Her vision cleared and she was staring at a white ceiling. Her head felt heavy and her bones brittle. She sat up. To her left there was a heart monitor along with a few other machines that she seemed to be hooked up to. Bubbles disconnected the wires from her body and took in a deep breath. This was... a hospital?

Bubbles turned her head to her right and froze. Flowers. Everywhere. Right beside her was a giant vase of blue Bachelor's Buttons. The vases crowded the table beside her and the waiting chair next to it. So beautiful. Bubbles shifted off of the bed and stood up. Her feet let out multiple intense cracks at the change of weight. She walked over to the flowers and smelled them. She brushed the petals. Her thumbs had been bandaged and her wrists seemed to have been extensively cared for. Bubbled walked into the bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was an oily, curly mess, reached below her chest. Her skin had paled slightly and her eyes were red. Gross. She felt really gross. Bubbles scratched her arms. What if this was a dream and right now she was in the psycho's car, heading to who knows where? Then the bathroom door sung open. Bubbles barely had time to look before she was engulfed in an intense hug.

"Boo-mer?" Her voice was incredibly weak.

"I'm right here." His voice vibrated through his throat, she could feel it. Her head was tucked under his chin. She could only smell him. This was real. She was alive. Bubbles took hold of his shirt. She was safe. Bubbles never wanted to move again. She only wanted to exist right here, in this moment for eternity.

"Bubbles!" Bell ran into the room, Blossom, Blitz, and Brick with the baby were trailing behind her. Boomer let go, but she didn't. She never wanted to leave that space again. It was the only place she felt safe in, she wasn't going to let go.

"Bubbles..." Boomer looked down at her, but Bubbles made a point to avoid his gaze.

They all talked for a few minutes before Blaine walked in with a police officer.

"Why are you moving!?" Bell stood up and walked over to him. "You're going to make it worse, go back and rest!" Bell tried to push him back. Blaine just engulfed her in a hug and looked over at them.

"Hey!" He greeted, Blaine had a bandage on his upper arm.

"What happened?" Bubbles asked. Blaine just laughed.

"I just got shot, it's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?!" Bell started lecturing him and the police walked over to Bubbles.

"We believe that you deserve to know what happened." The policeman gave her a reassuring look.

* * *

Bubbles was outside. She had on her gloves and was tending to her garden. It had been a month since she had gotten out of the hospital. Her burns on her wrists were just little marks, barely noticeable. It wouldn't be long until they completely disappeared. They were border lining between 2nd degree and 3rd. Bubbles had on a sun hat and her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She wore a little blue sun dress and no shoes. It was around 7 in the morning. Bubbles felt a little troubled. She finished fertilizing the plants and stood up. Her garden sparkled with morning dew. The Bachelor's Buttons glimmered around her like diamonds. Bubbles went back inside and started cleaning up. Still no sign of Boomer. At first, he was living with Blaine and Bell. Boomer wouldn't let her leave the house until her burns had healed, so he was over everyday. Once Bubbles told him about her nightmares, he started staying over. This was the first time in a month that she hadn't seen Boomer. She was really worried. She looked around the house over and over again. Bubbles walked into her little greenhouse, only about the size of a kitchen. She wasn't safe anymore. She hated that she thought like this. Bubbles nuzzled herself between a bunch of plants, like a shield. She just sat there, with her head in her knees.

Brian had Dissociative Identity Disorder, DID, better known as multiple personality disorder. He had escaped a mental hospital and the police had been looking everywhere for him. After he knocked her out Boomer saved her and the police weren't far behind him.

How did Boomer know where she was? There was no way that was actually him talking to her, right? Was Boomer hiding something from her? Bubbles stood up. She didn't like secrets. Bubbles put on her shoes and grabbed her purse before walking out the door. She walked down the street. It had been a whole month since she had walked down the street. If Boomer was going to disappear and hide crap from her she would just have to find it out another way.

* * *

Bubbles entered the public library. A couple people were reading. Bubbles didn't really know what to do, she hadn't ever been to the library.

"Do you need some help?" Asked an elderly man at the desk with a smile. Bubbles nodded and walked over to him.

"I'm looking for books about people who can uh... read minds? Or like talk in other people's minds?" Bubbles blushed at how crazy she sounded.

"ESP, upstairs, first row of books on your left." He laughed a little bit and she nodded before climbing up the staircase. She entered a little room. There were beanbag chairs in the center and books lined all the walls. The ceiling was made of glass. The sun shined down on her. The room was rather dusty, unused. Bubbles loved it. So quaint and secretive. Like a hide out. Bubbles put down her purse and took off her shoes. She walked along the shelves. ESP? She pulled out a few books. Bubbles sank into one of the beanbag chairs. Honestly, she was reading because she was curious about Boomer? Bubbles hated reading. To go to this extent... didn't that mean she liked him? Bubbles blushed and opened the book.

There are many types of ESP. In these chapters we will explore Telepathy, Precognition, Clairvoyance, and Psychokinesis.

Telepathy:Read minds

Precognition:See the future

Clairvoyance:Sense things about people without using the other senses

Psychokinesis:Move things with your mind

Telepathy.

.

.

.

Bubbles put down the second book and laid her head down on it. She wasn't one to believe in things like ESP, she'd never really thought about it. There was no doubt. Boomer was telepathic, or she was crazy. She had come all this was to discover stuff about Boomer. Did that mean...

She liked him a lot more then she thought?

Bubbles blushed ten shades darker. She heard the pitter patter of rain above and flipped over in her laying position. The weather was supposed to be sunny today! It was still pretty early in the morning. Maybe 9 or so. She was going to be here all day, now Boomer would find out she left and would be mad. He was incredibly overprotective, not that she had a problem with that. Even if she wasn't home he would figure it out, because he could read her mind.

"You figured it out." Bubble's eyes snapped open at the sound of Boomer's voice. She heard his footsteps until her was looking down at her. His hair dripped water onto her face.

"So you are..." Bubbles was rather fascinated. Wait, if he read her mind then that means all those times...

"When you checked me out, complemented me, wanted to stay with me," He crouched down, "started liking me." Bubbles blushed and sprang up. Bubbles flipped around and looked at him. She scooted away a little bit.

"Th-that's!" Bubbles stood up, her face was furiously red, how embarrassing! "No fair!" He stood up. Boomer took hold of her sundress and pulled her forward into a kiss. His hands found a way to her waist and his fingers would occasionally run down her spine. They pulled away from each other.

"Then, how do you feel about me?" Boomer laughed.

"Isn't that obvious?" She just wanted to hear it... Bubbles felt a little disappointed and her grip on his collar loosened.

"Then just say that." He held her tighter. "I love you Bubbles."

* * *

"I-I can't believe we did that!" Bubbles pulled the zipper of her dress as far up as she could. Bubbles yanked at the damn thing until two larger hands covered her own.

"Sorry, I lost control." Boomer chuckled into her ear as he easily zipped the back of her dress up. Bubbles turned and blushed to see Boomer still hadn't buttoned his shirt. Damn. She really loved this guy.

"Thanks." He laughed and Bubbles frowned at him.

"A-anyways!" Bubbles pulled his shirt closed and started buttoning it. "W-who else knows that you can read minds?" She kept her eyes glued to the buttons as she continued to close his shirt.

"My mom and Blaine. That's it. I've kept it a secret." Boomer smiled but it felt sad. Bubbles had a couple more buttons to go, but looked up anyways.

"Why?" She still held his shirt in her hands.

"Most people wouldn't understand. They just can't. I know, I've explored the possibilities and it's better that people don't know." Bubbles frowned.

"That's awfully lonely." Bubbles pulled him down into a hug. His head rested on her shoulder. He let out a sigh. Maybe, maybe Boomer felt just as safe in her arms as she felt in his. Bubbles pulled his head up and gave him a quick kiss. He laughed.

"Oh yeah," Boomer pulled out a little back from his back pocket. "They're still here." He smiled and handed her the bag, "I went out to buy you some of those Bachelor flowers to put them in the front of the garden." Bubbles smiled fondly at them and hugged Boomer.

"What are you kids doing!" The librarian yelled at them.

"Run!" Boomer yelled. He grabbed her shoes and she grabbed her purse and the two of them went dashing out into the rain with the angry librarian screaming at them out of the window.


End file.
